THE Society for Water and Sanitation (NEWSAN), an NGO, has called for speedy passage of the National Water Resources Bill before the National Assembly to revamp the water sector.

The National Coordinator of the organisation, Mr Benson Attah told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday that the delay in the passage of the bill had denied the sector the leverage to grow and for steady supply of clean water.

According to Attah, the delay in the passage at the Senate is worrisome and should be investigated by relevant stakeholders as speedy passage of the bill is for the good of all Nigerians in need of potable.

He recalled that the House of Representatives had earlier passed the bill and was to do same, urging the Senate to disregard misleading allegations and unsavoury commentaries from opposing quarters .

“We want to know what is happening and focus attention on the National Water Bill because it has overstayed at the National Assembly; we want to know what is delaying its passage.’’

Attah appealed to stakeholders and Nigerians in general to have faith in the bill, saying when passed into law, it would better serve potable water consumers and enhance the water sector management in line with global best practices.

NAN reports that the bill provides for professional and efficient management of all surface and ground water for the use of all people.

The bill is for both domestic and non-domestic use, irrigation, agricultural purposes, generation of hydro-electric energy, navigation, fisheries and recreation.

Attah said the organisation’s work-plan included continuous advocacy to all tiers of government to ensure that resources were  mobilised toward meeting the country target of ending open defecation by 2025.

He said that although it seemed like a tall order with commitment and improved financing in the water and sanitation sector, this work-plan would be achieved.

He said that the group was also partnering with the Governors Forum to advocate for more funds to be allocated to the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector to reduce disease burden of Nigerians.

He called on the state governments to prioritise the provision of WASH facilities, saying open defecation was still commonplace in the country.

Attah, however, commended the efforts of the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Water Resources at improving citizens’ access to water and sanitation, saying that a lot was still required to tackle the menace of open defecation.

“We don’t want them to lose track by focusing only on the federal level, but other line ministries and stakeholders need to complement such efforts.

He stressed the need for stakeholders’ activities to be streamlined with the country’s target, saying it was worrisome that sector partners work at cross purposes due to lack of coordination.

According to him, state and local governments need to streamline their targets and activities with the Federal Government’s efforts at eradicating open defecation by 2025. (NAN)

– Jan. 22, 2019 @ 13:55 GMT |